Dusk
by Fluffisacoolword
Summary: My version of Breaking Dawn; a continuation after Eclipse. Bella's wedding, transformation, and everything that changes in her life as a result. Also my entrance for Scipio'sgirl's Breaking Dawn competition . Rated M for some sexual content.
1. Preface

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: I'm hoping it's clear that this preface is meant to mirror how Meyer begins the books: with a quote, then a moment taken from later in story. This is my first Twilight fic, so please R&R! Positive or negative, I appreciate feedback. I also love constructive criticism.

"_And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband:  
All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?"_

Romeo and Juliet, _Act III, Scene II_

PREFACE

The enemy slowly drew in closer, coiled – prepared to spring. This was what I had wanted, right? I had always desired to be involved in the action. And, for once, I could fend for myself. I didn't need Edward's protection. For the the first time I could remember, I was an asset instead of a hindrence. I stared into the eyes of my opponent and slowly bent back into a defensive crouch. This was exactly what I had wished for. And I regretted with every fiber of my being that I was there. I wished that everything could go back to a simpler times when I had nothing to do with wars of legendary creatures. I looked into the monster's eyes and prayed for it all to go away.


	2. Engaged

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! I wanted to have it up as soon as possible after the preface, but I ended up staying longer than I expected at work, so I got right down to writing as soon as I got home. I hope you enjoy it! Please R&R – my preface got 76 hits, and 0 reviews; I need to know whether you like it or not!

A quick recap from the end of Eclipse:

"…_it's time to go do something that will be very unpleasant and possibly even highly dangerous."_

_His eyes widened in alarm._

"_It's a good thing you're bulletproof." I sighed. "I'm going to need that ring. It's time to tell Charlie."_

1. ENGAGED

I hesitated for a moment outside my front door, and looked up into Edward's eyes. He lightly squeezed my hand and smiled. As much as his presence comforted me, he also served as a reminder for what I was about to do. I shuddered, not wanting to think about it.

"Charlie's thoughts are relatively calm." He reassured me. "There will never be a _good_ time to break the news to him. Now is as good a time as any."

I took a deep breath, and pushed open the door. I was mentally running through lines to start with, but somehow they all sounded wrong, even in my head. _Hey Dad! Just wanted to let you know that I'm repeating the worst mistake of your youth. How was fishing?_ I shook my head a little, trying to calm myself.

"Bells?" Charlie called from the other room. I could hear the game in the background, and I hoped he would be distracted enough to not want to get up to strangle me.

"Hi, Dad," I called, my voice shaking a little. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, and gently kissed the top of head. I sighed and took his hand in mine and led him into the next room. Charlie sat silently watching the game for a few seconds, then muted it and turned around to face me. He could tell by my uncomfortable silence that there was something I needed to say.

"So…um, are they winning?" I hedged awkwardly, glancing at the silent screen. Charlie wasn't falling for it.

"What have you done, Bella?" He looked warily from me to Edward and back again.

"Don't worry!" I said quickly. "It's _good_ news…sorta…" I trailed off, giving up. I knew that he would definitely not perceive this news as anything near good. He eyed me impatiently. He wanted me to get on with it so he could go back to the game.

"Okay, well, we…that is, Edward and I, have an…announcement to make." Charlie's eyebrows furrowed together in what must have been a mix between disbelief and anger. He was starting to see where this was going. I started talking faster.

"See, Edward proposed to me a few nights ago and I said yes so I guess we're going to get married we set the date sometime in August but you know you'd have to talk to Alice about exactly…" I bit my cheek, trying to stop my rambling. I could feel Edward behind me trying not to laugh. Charlie had stood up and frozen, staring at me with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"What?" He managed to sputter out, still gawking at us in disbelief. My stomach twisted into a knot.

"We're engaged, Dad." I bit my lip nervously, holding out my left hand as evidence. _Engaged._ The word seemed to echo endlessly in the empty room. Charlie's face turned a deep shade of red-purple, in record time.

"You're WHAT?!" he exploded. "Have I taught you NOTHING, Isabella Swan? Have you listened to a WORD your mother and I have tried to tell you all these years? How could you possibly be so stupid?!" He was on a rampage, crashing through the door into the kitchen. He continued yelling as he snatched the phone off the hook and started dialing, but it was less coherent.

"Irresponsible!!…just not like her…I can't believe you!..." He continued to grumble until the person on the other end picked up. I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Renée…" he began, trying to compose himself. Yep, I was right. He continued, "Your daughter has something she wants to tell you." He handed me the phone, his eyes angry. I took the receiver gingerly, knowing that my mother's reaction would most likely be even worse. Charlie collapsed in a chair and dropped his face into his hands. I looked away, at the wall, and spoke into the mouthpiece.

"H-hi mom." I said, trying to sound normal.

"Hi, honey," she sounded uncertain. She had no idea why Charlie had called. "You had something you wanted to say?"

"Yeah, um, well, I just told Charlie, and…you should know too. Edward and I are engaged." I pulled the phone away from my ear a few inches, prepared for the yelling to start. Instead, I heard a soft sob coming from the other line. She was crying. I put the phone back to my ear.

"Mom…look, I know you don't approve. I know you think I'm making a mistake. If I was you, I would be disappointed too. But…Edward is my _everything_. I love him with everything I have and I can't imagine a future without him." My argument sounded weak, but it was all I had. She kept crying, but I could tell she saw how much I meant it.

"I believe you Bella," she said quietly. "I just wish you had taken some more time to think this through –"

"Mom, I've though about this for –"

"I'm not going to stop you, Bells. You're 18, and you can make your own decisions. I just don't want you to go through what I went through at your age, honey." She sounded sad; she didn't like to think about that part of her life, if she could help it. "Please just think about it, Bella." And with a soft click, she hung up.

I put the phone back on the wall and looked at Charlie. He was still frozen in the same posture, head in hands, staring blankly at the table. I hated to leave him there like that, but I couldn't really think of anything to say.

"I-I'm going to bed, Dad." I said softly, not wanting to surprise him out of his stupor. "I'll see you in the morning."

I turned on my heel and headed up the staircase. Edward left out the front door, but I knew it would only be a few seconds before I saw him again. I opened my bedroom door and lay down on the bed, my head in Edward's lap. We sat quietly for a long time, and I let a few silent tears escape. I had so many thoughts flying through my head, it was hard to focus on just one.

I was eternally grateful that Edward could not read my thoughts when I started to feel the doubt eating away at the edges of my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the related questions, but they would not go away. _What if I'm making the wrong choice? I know I feel certain about my love for Edward now, but Renée and Charlie obviously thought that they felt the same way. _The decision I was making now was much more long term and much less undoable. _What if _he_ changes his mind? What if I do? What if something goes wrong?_

And, to the tune of my softly hummed lullaby, I fell asleep in the arms of my one true love, who had no idea that I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do this.


	3. Wedding

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter took much longer than I expected to write. It also ended up longer than I anticipated, so it go split into two chapters. It probably would have fit nicely in one chapter, but I just couldn't wait to get this out there. : The rest will be coming soon – once I finish writing it. Also, I have only ever been to one wedding, and I was about 8 years old, so it was kind of like "Whoooo! Free food!!" So please forgive me if I don't get every detail right. **As always, R&R!** I want to know what you think.

2. WEDDING

In the weeks between my confession to my parents and my wedding (which Edward had persuaded Alice – with a fast car, no doubt – to postpone until the last day possible), I had plenty of time to get sick to death of the gossip that spread through Forks like wildfire. It felt like everyone from my class at Forks High School had called saying something along the lines of "OHMYGOD! You're getting MARRIED? Bella, are you pregnant?" Edward, of course, was furious at these assumptions. I had to keep reminding him to relax – we probably were never going to see them again after the wedding, anyway. I couldn't really blame them, though. Only idiots and pregnant girls got married at 18. Of course, I belonged to the first group. I was clearly mentally challenged.

Alice's excitement seemed to grow exponentially as the day drew closer. She pranced around eagerly, grinning ear to ear, and stopping every once and a while to wrap a tape measure around someone or to jot down a note as she realized another thing that needed to be taken care of. I had never seen her so elated. Myself, on the other hand…I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't believe that this was really happening. Every few minutes I would panic, starting to hyperventilate, cry, or go into hysterics. Edward was always there to calm me, but I could tell he was starting to wonder if I might have a mental breakdown on our wedding day.

Before I knew it, the dreaded day had arrived. The world moved in fast-forward as I allowed Alice to play Barbie with me. Before I knew it, I was waiting with Alice and Charlie in a small room at the park, only a few yards from where I would momentarily be walking down the aisle. I was in my wedding dress, with my veil pulled over my heavily made-up face. Charlie stood next to me, looking uncomfortable in a tux, with his arm linked through mine. Alice was in her silky lavender bridesmaid dress, bouncing around as usual, making sure everything was perfect.

Then I heard the wedding march playing loudly outside, and took a deep breath, not believing that this was really happening. Alice held the door open for us, and Charlie began to walk with me down the maroon-carpeted aisle that ran between the two sections of chairs. The sky was overcast, but for once there was no rain. My eyes quickly swept over the audience, curious to see who had shown up.

The left side, reserved for my guests, was filled up nicely. Renée and Phil were there, along with Angela, Jessica, and a lot more of my friends from school. I almost gasped out loud when I saw a too-familiar face looking up at me from his seat: the face of Jacob Black, sitting next to an unhappy-looking Billy. How did he get here? I knew I hadn't sent him an invitation.

The right side, reserved for the groom's friends and family, was nearly empty. Esme and Carlisle sat there, along with a couple of the Cullen's friends from Alaska, who were curious to see the new addition to the family. The rest of the Cullen family was not in the chairs – Alice ran up to the altar to join Rosalie in their positions as bridesmaids. Jasper and Emmett stood on the other side of the altar, as Edward's best men.

And then I let my eyes fall on Edward, and I nearly forgot how to breathe. He looked so amazingly perfect; it was hardly fair. His deep black tux stood in stark contrast to his pale skin, making both the colors look more intense. His eyes were a beautiful shade of gold, and his bronze hair was slightly messy (but somehow still perfect) as always. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile as his gaze locked with mine. I could not look away. But that was okay, I never wanted to.

We reached the altar, and Charlie turned to me and kissed me on the cheek before giving me a gentle nudge in Edward's direction. Was that a tear in the corner of his eye?

I walked up and stood next to Edward. Despite all of my makeup, and spending the whole day getting my hair done, I felt ugly in comparison. I still couldn't quite grasp that someone so perfect could want to be with me. But, I reasoned with myself, he was _here_ wasn't he? What more could I ask from him?

He put his arms around me briefly, and I remembered what I had seen a few seconds ago.

"You invited Jacob Black?" I hissed in his ear. He smiled, his lips intoxicatingly close to my skin.

"I don't really think this is the best time to discuss this," he whispered back. "After the cake?" I wasn't happy, but the audience was going to get worried if we stayed hugging too long, so I let go and stood next to him, ready to get all the boring talking over with. And it was just that: the priest doing a lot of boring talking. Don't get me wrong – I was happy to be standing there next to Edward. But that doesn't mean I wasn't relieved when the minister finally got to the vows. By then, the sky had already begun to shower us with rain. But it wasn't a sign. It was Forks. The only place in the world where it would start raining buckets at a wedding and nobody would think twice about it.

"…in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" The minister looked at me.

"I do," I said, my voice barely higher than a whisper. Edward looked into my eyes and smiled. The minister continued.

"And do you, Edward Cullen, take Isabella Swan to be your–"

"Of course I do." He interrupted, and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Then," the minister continued, smiling at us. "You may kiss the bride."

Edward lifted my veil and took my face in his hands. His wet hair was stuck to his face, and rain ran down his face in icy rivulets. I had less than a second to appreciate his beauty before his lips were pressed against mine. I wound my arms around his shoulders, savoring the moment. After a few seconds, he pulled away, smiling. Then he put his lips up next to my ear and whispered.

"I love you, Isabella Cullen." I looked into his eyes and couldn't help but smile back.

"I could get used to that." Not just the name, but the idea that he really did love me as much as I loved him. I had an eternity to get used to it.


	4. Let's Dance

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: First of all, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapters and added me to their alerts. You kept me motivated to keep writing! This is the most time I've taken to write a chapter, but it's the longest and I also think it's the best one I've written so far, so I hope you enjoy it. I included a playlist with this chapter, because the songs influenced me as I was writing it & they really fit the mood. Continue to R&R please!

**WARNING:**This chapter is the reason the story is rated M. I did my best to keep it clean, but I think M is the safest rating to use here.

Playlist

"Lullaby" – The Mitch Hansen Band

"Breaking the Habit" – Linkin Park

"You're A God" – Vertical Horizon

"Hands Down" – Dashboard Confessional

* * *

3. LET'S DANCE

The next half hour was consumed with cake and congratulations. The rain began to let up, but it was still sprinkling lightly on us as person after person came up to us to say how happy they were for us and to wish us luck. Of course, a lot of them were lying. I didn't need Edward's abilities to see that many of the people were truly doubtful that we would last. As Mike Newton was awkwardly trying to wish us well, Alice bounced over to interrupt us.

"Come on!" she said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me away. Edward followed the two of us obediently. With a stab of horror, I realized where she was taking us: the dance floor.

"Nooo," I protested, pushing at her iron grasp on my wrist. "Alice, I _don't_ dance."

"Don't be silly. It's your wedding, you're going to dance the first dance."

"Please," I begged, "I shouldn't have to trip and fall on my wedding day!" She gave me a sad look.

"You said you would cooperate, Bella," she whined. "How can I feel that I've done this right if the bride and groom don't lead the first dance?" I sighed, resigned. Her guilt trip had won her the argument, but I wasn't going to pretend to be happy about dancing in front of all those people. I pouted, crossing my arms.

I felt Edward slip his hands onto my waist from behind me. He kissed me just below my ear, making me dizzy.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he promised. I smiled and turned around to kiss him on the lips. As we parted, the music began to play, and Alice shoved us forward.

Edward placed one hand on my waist and took my hand in his other, then twirled me out onto the dance floor. He held me so that my feet were only barely touching the ground, and I didn't have to work to keep up with his steps. After only a few notes, I recognized the song playing. I looked up into his eyes.

"My lullaby," I whispered. The recording was definitely him playing the piano; no human could possibly play so fluidly. However, I could hear other instruments in the background: a violin, an acoustic guitar, and a flute. The strange combination of instruments melted together into the most beautiful harmony I had ever heard. Edward smiled down at me and touched his lips quickly to mine.

"I thought you would like it."

I was so lost in my moment with Edward that I forgot that everyone was standing around us, watching. He must have been very unfocused, too, because he let me down enough that I actually had to use my feet. That was a big mistake. Alice had put me in heels, and I stepped just wrong and lost my balance. Surprised, Edward lost his grip on me for a split second and I fell backward. Only I could make such an idiot of myself at my own wedding. Luckily, we were at the edge of the dance floor as I tripped, and someone's hand caught my back and righted me. I glanced back to thank them, and found myself face to face with Jacob. There was a look on his face that I couldn't quite place – there was definitely a tone of sadness to it, though. Edward glared past me at Jacob.

"I can take care of her," he growled.

"Could have fooled me," Jake scoffed.

"You need a muzzle, _dog_," he hissed, gently pushing me aside so he could face Jacob.

"Says the _leech_." Jacob was shaking. I could see he was using every ounce of effort to stay human.

"Stop!" I cried, stepping in between them. Everyone was watching them, unsure what to do. Nobody seemed to be breathing. I took Edward's hand and led him back on the dance floor. I definitely was not in the mood for dancing, but I needed to get them apart. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob running out of the park, into a patch of trees. He was shaking as he ran.

The song changed, and we continued dancing, but the magical mood was broken. I was angry; I didn't want to look at him. I stared at my feet instead. I felt Edward put his forehead against mine.

"I'm sorry," was all he said. I could tell he was struggling for words.

"Why would you do this?" I asked. I really didn't understand. "You went behind my back to invite him, and then tried to pick a fight when he showed up." My eyes welled up in frustration, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. We kept our position, heads bent together, both of us staring at the floor. The guests had forgotten the incident and were dancing around us. He sighed.

"I'm not really sure what I was thinking, either," he confessed. "I invited him because I knew I would have wanted a choice if it was the other way around. I fought with him just now…mostly because I was mad at myself. I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I did. Then _he_ was the one to catch you. I won't deny I was jealous, Bella. I just wasn't thinking." I looked into his eyes, and they were filled with shame and regret.

"I forgive you." Of course I forgave him. I could never seem to stay mad at him for more than five minutes. "I love you." I tilted my head up and kissed him on the lips, taking in his cool scent. He kissed me back, and our argument melted away. Was I mad at him…? I couldn't quite remember why I would be.

* * *

I couldn't stop myself from giggling as Edward pushed the door open to his house, his arm around my waist and his lips against my neck. It was nervous energy – I knew what was going to happen, here at his house on our wedding night. The other Cullens were all conveniently absent. I wished I could quit giggling, I sounded like an idiot.

Keeping his arms around my waist, he led me up the stairs toward his room. He let out a soft growl; it almost sounded like a purr. He sounded hungry, but not for my blood. My heartbeat quickened, and I could feel my body heating up from the excess blood flow. We reached his room, and he set me gently on my back on the gigantic bed in the center of the room.

His kisses traveled up and down my neck and collarbone, sending a shiver down my spine and leaving me lightheaded. He stopped, suddenly, his lips hovering just above mine. I breathed in his delicious scent as he spoke.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" he asked. I knew he was worried about hurting me.

"Of course," I replied quickly. I didn't want this to stop. I wasn't sure if I could wait much longer. "I'll tell you if something is wrong," I assured him. Before he could doubt his actions again, I reached up with shaking hands to unbutton his shirt. I was eternally glad that we had changed out of our ridiculous attire between the dancing and dinner. The dress would have been a pain to get off, and Edward's tux had had far too many layers.

I worked my way down the row of buttons quickly, terrified that he might reconsider and try to stop me. Instead, he continued to kiss my jaw line, stopping only to breathe in the scent of my hair. As I reached the last button, he helped me by shrugging out of the sleeves. I was astounded by the perfection of his bare torso, and ran my hand across his chest, exploring the magnificent contours of his muscles. He let out a heavy breath, like a silent moan. I looked up into his eyes to see him staring right back into mine.

"Your warmth…" he explained, "it feels incredible."

Then he reached down to unbutton my blouse, and I thought I might explode. He kissed down my torso with each button he undid, sending another wave of shivers rocking through my body.I helped shrug off my own shirt, and then he unhooked my bra, his lips still locked against mine. I helped him get that off, too. His body pressed down on top of mine, and the sensation of his icy chest against my too-hot skin was amazing (if not a little shocking). We both sighed.

He pulled his head up just enough to look into my eyes. I looked back into his, and we had an entire wordless conversation. We were both ready, and we both trusted each other. He kissed me on my lips, and reached down to undo my belt.


	5. Change

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: First of all, I'll give some excuses for how long this chapter took. On top of 7 straight hours of taekwondo training on Saturday and an entire semester of Health classes I had to finish on Sunday, I have also been helping my best friend study for finals and trying to keep up with my own classes. Then, every time I would sit down to write, I would be gripped with writer's block every other line. So, here is your next chapter. I don't like it very much, but I guess you guys can tell me what you think of it by reviewing. :)

4. C H A N G E

I drifted slowly into consciousness, awoken by the glare of the sunlight shining through the south wall of Edward's room. I smiled, remembering the night before; remembering that I now officially _belonged_ to Edward – I was his wife. As if that wasn't enough to make me absolutely giddy, I also knew that my transformation was not far over the horizon. He had promised, and I knew he would keep his word.

I shifted over in bed so I could see him, and his appearance amazed me. His skin glittered in the sunlight, reminding me of the diamond that now took permanent residence on my finger. His eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly, and I had to remind myself that he was not asleep. As he felt me turn over, his eyes fluttered open and he smiled.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen." He took my hand and intertwined our fingers, kissing my hand just below the ring. For once, I did not worry about my morning breath, and leaned in to kiss him. We must have lay there for 5 whole minutes, just staring into each other's eyes.

"How did you sleep?" he asked finally.

"Wonderfully, and you?" I smirked. He smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"I had a spectacular night, if that's what you're asking."

"What did you do?" I asked, cuddling up against him. He was very cold in contrast to the spot I had spent the night warming, but I couldn't_not_ be close to him.

"Well, after my absolute favorite part of the night…" he trailed off suggestively, and I blushed a deep crimson. "After that I just watched you sleep." He brushed the back of his hand against my flushed cheek.

"I'm going to miss that," he murmured.

So,_he _would be first to bring up that topic.

"When…?" I whispered, afraid that the discussion this would lead into might break this feeling of perfection.

"When what?" He knew exactly what I meant.

"When are you going to change me?"

"Why," he asked, incredulous, "are you so eager to throw your soul away?"

My eyes narrowed, though I couldn't bring myself to be angry with him. Everything just felt too…right. "You promised," I reminded him. "I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now it's your turn."

He sighed, kissing me on the forehead. "I know. I just…wish you would take some time to consider this. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"I've considered it as much as I need to. I want to be with you forever." I stared into his eyes. "When will you change me?"

He could see I wasn't going to give up. "You've done everything I asked you to," he resigned. "You can decide the time restrictions."

That surprised me. I hadn't really thought about when _exactly_ I wanted to do this, except that I knew I wanted it as soon as Edward was willing.

"I…I want to change…" I thought for a moment. "Within the next month." His eyes opened wide, and he sat up slightly in bed.

"No! Absolutely not!" he cried. "That's much too soon."

"Edward," I argued. "You said I could decide." I pouted a little.

"Yes, but…" he was visibly frustrated. "waiting a little longer couldn't possibly hurt." Except that it could. Something else could happen, something that put me in danger again, and he would refuse to change me until the danger had passed. He could use that excuse over and over. There was no good reason for waiting.

"Fine," I snapped. "I'll just get Alice to do it instead." It was the harsh way to win the argument, but I knew it would work.

"You wouldn't." Hurt touched his eyes. I sighed.

"I don't _want_ to, Edward, but I'm sick of waiting. If you won't do it on my timeline, then I _will_ get Alice to do it." I was mostly bluffing, but he didn't seem to see through it.

"Okay," he murmured quietly. "One month." I smiled victoriously. "But I want you to think very hard about this until then, okay?" He looked into my eyes, and I looked back into his and nodded. I could think about it for the rest of my life – I wouldn't change my mind.

I rested my head against his chest, and closed my eyes. I thought about the rest of my life. It would be forever, and it would be in Edward's arms. I couldn't think of any alternative. I smiled and went back to sleep.

* * *

We spent 3 more weeks in Forks before I packed my bags and said my final goodbye to Charlie. I think that he was somehow aware that my farewell was more permanent than it seemed. His eyes were full of loss, and he hugged me for a little too long before I stepped out the door. I simply kissed him on the cheek and lied that I would be back soon. Then I walked down the driveway and piled into the car with the rest of the Cullens. 

The drive to the airport, and then the flight to Alaska, were both very boring. I passed the time talking to Edward. It reminded me of when we had first met, when we had taken turns asking meaningless questions just to quench our mutual need to know each other even better. Only this time, I asked Edward the silly questions like favorite color and band, while he asked me more important questions, like how I felt about moving out of Forks and what I would miss most about being human. I was amazed that, after knowing each other so long, we still had so much to learn about each other.

Once we reached Alaska, we left the airport and headed out into the woods. I needed to be isolated from civilization after my change, so we set up 4 tents in the snow (one for Carlisle/Esme, one for Rosalie/Emmett, one for Alice/Jasper, and one for Edward and me). The tents were relatively small, but that made sense when you realized that they did not need to sleep in them. A few of the Cullens were unhappy about having to live in tents for a year, but they all remained, saying they wanted to support me. I had never felt so taken care of before. I felt a little uncomfortable with all these people wanting to help me, but I had to admit that I would have been terrified on my own.

When it reached a month after our wedding, all of the Cullens gathered together in Edward's and my tent. They all were looking at me.

"We need to know that you're 100 sure of this, Bella," Carlisle said matter-of-factly. He was looking in my eyes, searching for any small hint of doubt. Instead of answering Carlisle directly, I looked at Edward.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." My throat was dry from nerves, making my voice slightly raspy and quiet.

"Then," Carlisle smiled, "we are all here to support you, and we will be the entire time."

I looked around the tent. Edward sat next to me, holding my hand. His face was unhappy, but determined. Carlisle stood by my side, looking at me with kind eyes. Esme stood beside him, a mother's love and concern filling her face. Alice stood on my other side, behind Edward, and nodded her head. She didn't see anything going wrong. Jasper stood back in the corner, as far from everyone else as he could get. I could blame him, the mixed emotions in this group were starting to bother _me_ a little. Emmett looked at me encouragingly, but stood with Rosalie in the corner opposite Jasper. She looked disapproving, and had her arms folded across her chest. They were _all_ there just for me. I nearly let a tear escape. Instead, I looked back at Edward.

"I'm ready," I whispered.

He took me around the waist and lay me on the ground – Carlisle had been worried I might fall over during the transformation and hurt myself. Given my crippling clumsiness, we had all agreed that this should happen with me lying down. He leaned over my face, brushing his cold marble lips against mine ever so gently. Then he let his lips trail down to my ear.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

He brought his lips back to mine and kissed me before trailing slowly down to my neck.

"I'll be here the whole time, holding your hand. It will be over before you know it." He sounded like he was convincing himself as much as he was me.

And then I felt razor-sharp teeth sink into the thin layer of skin covering my jugular.


	6. Fire

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: I found this chapter a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. I apologize that there is not very much action, but I wanted to paint a very clear picture of the transformation, and I thought it deserved its own chapter. It's short, compared to the other chapters, but I hope you enjoy it! Keep up the reviews, and I will keep up the writing :)

F I R E

The heat began in my neck, just where his teeth had pierced through my skin. Then it spread, inching down my back and then raging into a fire. I closed my eyes and squeezed Edward's hand. His cold touch soothed the flame, but only barely. The searing pain fought its way through my veins, burning me from the inside out. The inferno scalded every inch of my body, flooding my body with unbearable heat. I tried to look up into Edward's eyes, but my vision blurred, and the world went black.

I heard a blood-curdling scream, and it took me a moment to realize that it had come from me. My throat rasped, and my breaths came out shallow and shaky. I tried to take in more oxygen, but my lungs were collapsing. I sucked in again and again, trying to get air, but it was useless. I choked and coughed, unable to control my breathing.

"Make it stop!" I tried to shout, but it came out as a confused babbling. I turned side to side, my arms and legs thrashing; trying to fight back against the pain. I was slightly aware of Edward's body pressing down on top of me, holding me still and icing my white-hot skin. He was whispering in my ear, but I couldn't quite make sense of the words. My head throbbed, and I worried it might actually explode. It felt like there were two people pushing on each side of my head, trying to crack my skull.

I shrieked again, involuntarily. The flame became a beast, its jagged teeth tearing at my core and desecrating my resolve. I could no longer keep track of time. I didn't know if it had been days, hours, or even minutes since he had bitten me. The darkness was disorienting, and I couldn't tell day from night. The pain seemed eternal, stabbing at my heart and consuming my very soul.

I could feel the venom coursing through my veins, drying and hardening them. The process was slow; the fire moved inch by inch across my entire body, boiling every last drop of my blood. I both anticipated and feared the moment the poison would reach my heart; I wanted this to end, but I also knew that would be the most painful part.

There was a wetness running down my face, and some part of me recognized I was crying. My pathetic attempts at breathing melted into broken sobs of panic. I wasn't going to live through this! I was going to die here, in the worst pain of my life, on the brink of immortality. No, I realized. I wasn't _going_ to die. I was already dead. This was what hell felt like. That explained the unbearable heat, the blindness, the fact that I could no longer feel Edward near me.

"Edward," I whimpered, searching for him. But I couldn't move my arms and legs. Something was holding me to the ground, but I couldn't tell what. The bane crept up into my head, and I felt the tears evaporate off of my too-hot cheeks. I wanted to cry, but my tear ducts were dry, scorched by the fire. I sobbed harder.

There was a stabbing in my heart, and I could feel it beating unevenly; too fast at first, and then too slowly. The venom in my heart was pushed out with every beat, rushing through my veins even faster than before. The pain was knifing in my chest, penetrating into some part of me that was deeper than my heart. This pain must have gone on for hours…or days. I couldn't tell.

The poison, then, stopped delivering pain to every crevice of my body. Instead, it spread a numbness. I no longer felt human, but as though I had been sculpted from some other material. I felt disconnected from my body. I opened my eyes. I could see again.

I was no longer fighting or screaming, so Edward rolled off of me. Oh. That was what had been trapping me to the floor. It made more sense now. I felt strong, stronger than I had ever been before. I felt thankful that it was all over, and grateful that all of the Cullens were still in the tent, watching over. All of these feelings, however, were overshadowed by a new pain that now burned inside of me. A stabbing pain from deep inside my throat that made me wild with its intensity. Above every other feeling, I had a new need that screamed inside me to be quenched.

I was thirsty.


	7. Hunting

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: First of all, this is the farthest I have ever gotten with a story before, and it is all thanks to you, my wonderful readers :) Your reviews, favorites, and alerts have kept me going when I wanted to give in to writer's block and quit writing. You guys rock! I'm quite proud of this chapter, so if I don't get any reviews, I will be very depressed :( So, without further adue, here is the next chapter.

6. H U N T I N G

I ran from the tent, pushing past Edward, Carlisle, and finally Emmett. I didn't care that they wanted me to stay in the tent. I didn't care anything about them in that moment. I needed to put out this new fire that burned from deep within my gullet.

Wait. Had I really just shoved _Emmett_ out of the way? Wow.

I had only a second to marvel at that before I was running through the surrounding trees, searching for something, anything, with a beating heart. My feet seemed to have a mind of their own, or at least they were operating under the same consciousness as my thirst. In any case, they refused to turn back to the tent. They pushed forward, searching for prey.

Running felt amazing; refreshing. I felt like a speeding bullet, trees flying past at warp speed. Somehow, I was still in control. Chilled wind whipped past my face, and I dodged the trees in my blurred peripheral with ease. I felt unbelievably strong and graceful, bounding like a gazelle through the forest. I sped up even more; sprinting, testing my new abilities.

Suddenly, I felt my foot catch on something – a tree root? – and I was hurtling through the air, struggling to right myself before I hit the ground. I stuck out my hands instinctively, catching myself just in time to turn my 100-mile-an-hour fall into a flailing somersault. My momentum sent me back onto my feet, at nearly my original speed. I caught myself against a tree with a loud _CRACK!_ upon impact. The tree snapped, bending at almost 90 degrees where I had hit it. I turned and stared back at the ground where I had taken the legendary tumble.

What the hell? Wasn't I supposed to be _more_ graceful as a vampire? A wave of horror washed over me. _Please_ don't let my clumsiness be the special ability I brought with me to the next life. I rolled my eyes. That would be absolutely typical of my luck. I glanced down at my palms. They were dirty, but they were not scratched or bruised. My skin was just as impervious as it felt.

I wiped the mud off on my jeans and started up again at a quick jog – still faster than my old truck could have gone in its wildest dreams. My temporary distraction was not enough to keep me from pressing on, searching for something to hunt. I heard quick footsteps in the snow behind me. My fall had cost me enough time to allow someone to catch up with me. I wanted to outrun them, but I didn't want to fall again. I slowed and glanced back to see Edward only a few hundred feet behind me. I stopped and let him catch up with me.

He didn't stop until he was less than a foot in front of me. He put up one finger in my face, as though he was about to lecture me, opening his mouth angrily. He stopped with his mouth hanging half-open, looking me over. I realized I must look like a mess: mud on my hands and jeans, wind-whipped hair, and torn clothes from my close encounter with the tree.

"What happened to you?" he asked incredulously. He looked me up and down, confused. Then he looked back behind us. "Did _you_ make that mess back there?"

I stared at the ground, indignant. If I could blush, I would have been tomato red now.

"I fell," I muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. He chuckled, his booming laugh echoing through the silent snow. My eyebrows furrowed together. "It's not funny." I smacked him on the shoulder, and the loud clap resounded even louder than his laughter.

He stopped, rubbing his arm. But he couldn't seem to hold back the laughter. He bit his lip, but I could see the corner of his mouth pulling up into a grin. He took me around the waist, pulling me close to him and kissing me on the top of my head.

"Yes, it is," he said, and I could feel him grinning against my hair. "It is just so…_you_," he explained as he kissed my forehead, "to trip and fall while trying to outrun me. I was a little worried that the transformation would change you too much, but clearly you are still very much my Bella." He brushed his lips against the corner of my jaw, and despite the fact that I no longer needed oxygen, I still felt dizzy at the sensation of his lips against my skin. I tried to enjoy the feeling, but a voice inside my head screamed for blood, pulling me out of my daze and back into my unending world of thirst.

"Edward," I began, looking up into his eyes; trying to convey my conflicting interests. He understood immediately and nodded, pulling away from me.

"That's why I followed you, actually, to watch over your first hunt." He took my hand and led the way, taking off at a jog. I followed, for once easily keeping pace with him.

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" I asked angrily. I was stronger than Emmett, and Edward still had to follow me everywhere and make sure I was okay? I had been looking forward to being somewhat on the same level as Edward, so that he would not have to worry about me so much. Again, he laughed at me.

"I'm sure you can take care of yourself just fine, Bella." He turned back to look at me while he ran. "What I don't think you can do is control yourself if you get too close to town." He gave me a meaningful look. "Is that an accurate evaluation?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but froze when I heard a twig snap from somewhere off to my left. Simultaneously, a delicious scent passed my nose, causing the monster inside me to take over. I took off running toward the smell, instincts consuming me and driving me toward the delicious scent.

I slowed when I caught sight of the big grizzly, only a few hundred yards in front of me. Slinking back behind a tree, I felt my eyes dilating and I became very still. I waited silently as the bear lumbered, unaware, closer and closer to my hiding spot. I could smell the blood as it drew nearer to me, and I felt my throat burning, pleading with me to attack.

When it was only about a hundred feet in front of me, I took off, charging sidelong at the mass of brown fur. I ran into it with a loud snap, breaking its spine. It fell, sprawling on its side in the snow. Without knowing what I was doing, my head lurched downward, my teeth sinking into its soft flesh.

Fanatical with thirst, I drank from the beast's neck, not willing or able to stop until its veins ran dry. The warm liquid flowed down my throat, soothing the fire that could be put out no other way. The screaming in my head ceased, and I could finally think clearly. With my logic back in place, I took a step back, staring in disgust down at the carcass I had left on the ground. The snow at me feet was red with the bear's blood, and specks continued to drip off of my chin, adding to the mess.

I looked back to see Edward looking out at me from the trees, with a crooked half-smile on his face. I wiped my hand across my mouth, trying to clean off all the blood. He walked over to me and smirked.

"I hate to say 'I told you so.'"


	8. Experiment

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: This chapter was delayed a little due to the production of my oneshot comedy, BillyxOC, which I wrote for yayme2012's BellaxBanana Challenge. It's pretty funny, but a little insane, and a lot sick and twisted. Check it out if you want – it definitely has a very different tone than this story. Anyway, Spring Semester has started, so I will only be able to write on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, making updates a little less frequent. Sorry, guys! I'm pretty upset about it, too. Homework sucks. But, enough about my life, time for you to read about Bella's life! I hope you enjoy it :)

7. E X P E R I M E N T

I slid my hand into Edward's, intertwining our fingers, as we strolled back to the tents. Our hands had always felt like two puzzle pieces before, but they seemed to fit even better now. His skin was no warmer than before, but mine was colder, and now there was no contrast in temperature. It felt even more as though our hands belonged together; they should not ever be anywhere else.

I was also pleased that I kept pace easily. We were going much faster than I could have gone as a human, but it felt slow. I felt better knowing that I was not holding him back. I squeezed his hand hard, showing him that I never wanted to let go. Grimacing, he pulled away from me a little. Confused, and a little hurt, I looked up at him.

"You're much stronger than me, Bella," he reminded me.

Oh, right. I'd already started to forget that I was a newborn vampire. I eased my grip as I realized that I had hurt his hand.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I hated that I had caused him any kind of pain.

"It's okay." He smiled. "It's not going to kill me." I rolled my eyes, but he laughed and said, "Actually, it's sort of funny – all of this time I've had to be extra gentle and careful with you. Now, it's your turn." He grinned, but I looked at the ground. I didn't have anywhere near the amount of self-control that he did. I was bound to hurt him again somehow.

We walked a couple more steps before he stopped, turning slowly to me. The wicked grin on his face scared me a little.

"That reminds me. There's something I wanted to try. An experiment, if you will."

His eyes turned hungry, and suddenly, his hands were on my hips, pushing me roughly back against a tree behind me. I let out a little gasp of surprise, but was quickly silenced with his lips pressing urgently against mine. He let one arm wind around the small of my back, pulling my hips toward him even harder as he pressed into me against the tree. His other hand tangled in my hair as his lips pushed against mine, more aggressive than he had ever dared to be with me before. I breathed in, parting my lips against his and put both my hands on his waist to pull him closer. His tongue snaked into my mouth, exploring my tongue and lips and making me lightheaded. I let out an involuntary moan, my hands reaching up under his arms and grasping onto his shoulder blades. He pushed me even harder against the tree, and I could no longer think. He kissed me more fervently, his hands gliding up my shirt. If I didn't know that it was impossible, I would be worried about fainting.

He pulled away from me, just enough so that he could stare into my eyes. We were both panting heavily, our breath showing in the cold winter air. We were speechless for nearly a minute as we caught our breath. I tried to form a coherent thought, but my mind remained blank.

"Wow," he breathed. Apparently he was having the same difficulty with finding words. I gulped, nodding my agreement.

"That was…" I began. But there were no words that could finish that sentence accurately.

"Yeah." His breathing was slowly returning to normal. Then he grinned, "I could definitely get used to your new, less-breakable body." He took my hand in his and we continued walking, still a little dazed. We walked in silence for a few minutes, and I gazed at my surroundings.

The snow and the trees were beautiful – though somewhere in my mind I wished I had taken the time to appreciate this beauty while I was still human. There was something different about how I saw the world now. Perhaps it had to do with the thirst that lingered constantly in the forefront of my mind, or perhaps it was because now I knew I would have an eternity to look at whatever I wanted, and felt no need to do it now. When infinity is a reality, you can always stop and smell the roses later.

"So," Edward interrupted my existential ponderings, "How are you liking being one of the soulless undead?" He smiled at his own joke, but his eyes held the grief and self-loathing that came from the accuracy of the question.

"It's pretty nice," I smiled back. "I must admit, I love that I can't hurt myself so easily anymore." I held out my muddy, but unscathed, hands.

"Definitely a plus," he nodded.

"I've been wondering, though…" I began. I had endless questions, but I went with the biggest one I could think of. "How will I know if I have some kind of special power? When will I know?"

"Well," he looked thoughtful, "since you haven't been hearing voices, seeing the future, or feeling others emotions yet, we can assume that you don't have any of those powers. Of course, there's always the chance that you _don't_ have a power. The number of 'talented' vampires is really disproportionate in our family. But, perhaps, it is just something that will have to show itself in the right time and place."

"Hmmm," I replied, brilliantly. Staring at the ground, I quietly voiced my concern, "I was worried that…maybe…my clumsiness was what I brought with me to the next life." It sounded a little stupid when I said it out loud, but with me it was entirely feasible. Edward laughed.

"I suppose it's possible." He shrugged. "Your little fall back there was unusual for a vampire, but it is by no means _proof_ of some extreme klutziness superpower. Everyone makes mistakes, and yours are just usually in the form of tripping." I sighed, frustrated.

"I just wish that I could know," I admitted. "I wish that I could have the answers." I looked away, but Edward fingers caught my chin and gently turned my face so I was looking in his eyes.

"Give it time," he told me. "You have _forever_ to answer these questions of yours. Just let events unfold, and you will discover answers – and even more questions – as you go." He paused. "Just don't ever forget, in all that time, that I absolutely love you with every fiber of my being, Isabella Cullen." He kissed me on the lips, and I breathed in his wonderful scent, winding my arms around his neck.

As we pulled away from each other, I noticed that we were only a few feet away from the tents. We entered together into the same one I had left from, and saw the family still there, though they were all preoccupied with different activities. Alice and Jasper sat in a corner, staring at each other in that way that made you feel as if you had walked in on something private. Emmett and Rosalie sat playing a game of cards, looking bored. Esme and Carlisle were in another corner, talking quietly.

When we came in, I saw Jasper and Emmett share a quick glance. Looking over my mud-stained and blood-spattered clothes, Jasper grinned at Emmett and held out his hand. Emmett grumbled, placing a hundred-dollar bill in Jasper's hand.


	9. Mistake

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Wow! Super-special surprise, just for you guys: two chapters in just two days! Having nothing to do all weekend has given me lots of time to write. Kind of a short chapter, but there are more coming soon. On top of this, I've posted the first chapter of my HP slashfic, and am working on the second chapter now. Check it out! And, as always, don't forget to review!

8.M I S T A K E

I. Was. BORED.

I turned on my heel, pacing across the tent for the millionth time that day. I knew every inch of this stupid tent by heart now. Of course, I could always go outside, but why should I? I would just be pacing out there. Anyway, I was supposed to stay in the tent as much as possible. The rest of the Cullens needed to keep an eye on me as much as possible, and it was just easier if we were all in the same room. So here I was, doing absolutely nothing. It had been almost a month since I was changed, and the monotony was starting to get to me.

I turned again, pacing back across the tent in the other direction. Was I really going to have to stay here for the next 11 months? I would go crazy! I had already exhausted all my options for interesting pastimes. Every card game I knew had been played, every book I brought had been read, and there was not much to talk about with anyone, when we were all with each other 24/7. And when you can't sleep, the days seem much, much longer. Everyone except Edward went to town every once and a while, to maintain their sanity. However, I wasn't allowed to leave, so Edward stayed with me to support me. I switched directions again.

The only interesting thing that we did was go hunting, once a week, so that I was less dangerous. We were going to go tomorrow, and that was something for me to look forward to. After a year of this, though, I was bound to get bored of feeding, too. I was already seeing that hunting was not nearly as interesting as I had thought it would be when I was human. I turned around again, groaning at myself in frustration. I was bored within one month of becoming a vampire – an eternity suddenly seemed a hell of a lot longer. I wondered if I was cut out for this life. Maybe I just wasn't the kind of person who could handle infinity. I turned again.

"Bella!" Emmett snapped, startling me. I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to him with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked, wondering what I had done to upset him.

"Would you quit pacing? You've been going back and forth all day. It's making me dizzy."

"Sorry," I mumbled, sitting down cross-legged on the floor of the tent. What now? My last resort for entertainment was now taken away from me. Edward was in another tent, talking to Carlisle, so I couldn't even talk to him to keep myself occupied. I looked down, picking absent-mindedly at my fingernails.

I was up and running before I even knew why I had gotten up.

I followed a scent, more delicious and strong than anything I had ever smelled before. A wave of horror washed over me as I realized the only thing that could possibly have such a strong effect on my instincts. I tried to turn back, horrified by what I knew was going to happen, but I could not get my body to listen to reason. All that I could think of was my unbearable thirst.

_NO!_ my conscience screamed from the back of my mind. _Go back to the tent! It's not worth it!_ But the monster part of me, which had taken control of my body, did not listen. It propelled me forward, faster than I would have dared to go if I was in control of my own body. I was soon face to face with the unfortunate hiker who had wandered too close to our tent.

His eyes widened in shock as he saw me, but I was on him before he could say anything. He didn't even have a chance to scream before I snapped his neck. I drank from him, part of me relishing the addictively mouth-watering taste, and the other part of me wanting to vomit. Just like my first time with the bear, I was not able to come to my senses until my prey had been completely drained.

I stepped back, collapsing on my knees in the blood-stained snow. I curled up, my head in the snow and my arms over my head. I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I couldn't believe what I had just done. I felt the lump in my throat, the clenching in my stomach, but I could not cry. I began to sob, the fact that my eyes remained dry only make me sob harder. I felt cold, familiar arms around me, and I sensed Edward kneeling next to me on the frozen ground. He hadn't been fast enough to catch up with me before I attacked the hiker.

"It's okay," he whispered, rubbing my back to comfort me. I leaned against him, still sobbing.

"No," I argued, my voice hoarse. "It's not okay." I couldn't breathe. I sobbed harder. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"It was a mistake Bella," he told me softly. "You didn't mean to."

"That doesn't matter!" I cried. "That was a person. A living, breathing, human being. He had a name, a family, wishes, dreams and goals. And I took all of that away from him…Just because I couldn't control myself." And then I broke down. I was sobbing so hard I could no longer get any words out.

"Shhh," Edward murmured, cradling me against his chest.

He stroked my hair, and I felt a little better being in his arms. We stayed there for the rest of the day and the whole night, with me weeping uncontrollably, and him simply holding me and rocking me in his arms. Despite the strain and exhaustion I felt, I could not sleep. So I simply continued to bawl, my face remaining completely dry.


	10. Calm

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Firstly, props to Cloudmoo for doing my editing on this chapter. :) She rocks. As you may have noticed, the chapters are coming out slightly faster recently. That's just because I'm getting really excited about this story and I can't seem to get it out of me fast enough.

**Readers!** I need more than just your reviews this time! I'm considering taking the preface out of this story for two reasons: 1) I'm not sure if I want the story to go in that same direction anymore, and 2) it really doesn't reflect my writing style in the rest of the story, and I'm afraid that I'm losing a lot of potential readers to an uninteresting first chapter. So, it's up to you guys! Are you particularly attached to the idea of a preface, or should I just toss it? I need your input, so please let me know. Thanks! Now, here's your next chapter.

((Sorry about the double-alert, I had to rename the chapter))

* * *

9. C A L M

I sat in the tent, again, doing nothing. We were all on lockdown now. Everyone had to be there to help prevent me from getting out again. Emmett was positioned between me and the exit, so that he could grab me and stop me. Edward was to stay with me, but always keep watch for thoughts of humans that might be coming near. I also went hunting twice a week now, so I would always be full enough to resist.

Alice was keeping tabs on all of our futures, waiting to see me leaving the tent again. I wondered if that was going to help – she hadn't seen me leave the first time, most likely because I had not made a decision to go after the hiker. It was pure instinct, and by the time she saw it happening, I would be already gone.

Jasper's job was to keep me constantly calm, which was already getting on my nerves. I couldn't feel any other emotion because of the constant waves of flat, monotonous calm that were constantly being sent in my direction. I was ready to strangle him if he tried to manipulate my emotions again for no good reason.

But I knew that all of this precaution was unnecessary. I felt so awful about what I had done that I was sure I could stop myself the next time I came close to slipping up. I was beginning to tap into the small bit of self-control in me, and I was slowly learning to restrain myself more while hunting animals. I hoped I would be able put that skill to use if I came too close to a human again. However, sick as it was, I now understood Edward's comparison to living on tofu and soy milk. The sane part of me was revolted by drinking human blood, but the monster inside of me was not satiated by animals.

I knew that Emmett and Jasper had made another bet, about how many times I would slip up as a newborn, but thankfully they had enough tact to not exchange money in front of me this time. It still irked me, however, knowing that Jasper had been secretly pleased when I made my first mistake.

I sighed, leaning back against Edward. It was strange – we were together all the time, but I missed him. We hadn't had any time alone since I slipped up, because of all of my new security measures. He wound his arms around me tightly, and we were quiet for a few minutes before I spoke.

"What was it like?" I asked, my voice barely loud enough for me to hear. I felt self-conscious, discussing this in front of all of the other Cullens.

"What was what like?" he asked me, confused. His hands moved to run through my hair. The sensation sent shivers down my spine. I felt even more self-conscious of our audience, though I told myself that they weren't interested in what we were doing.

"Changing me. Was it hard?"

"It was." He paused, searching for words, "It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done."

"I thought that, after you saved me from James, you wouldn't have had such a hard time." I turned my head slightly, so I could see his face. He chuckled a little, ruffling my hair.

"Just because I have resisted the temptation once – that does not mean that it is no longer extremely tempting. Having my teeth in your skin, it took everything I had not to drink from you." He looked into my eyes, and the gold melted me, making me more comfortable than anything Jasper did could. "But the temptation of your blood was not the worst part of it…not even close."

"What was?" I asked, wondering what could possibly be more difficult for him. I now knew firsthand of the strength of our bloodlust, and couldn't imagine a force more compelling.

"The hardest part," he paused again, "was the fear. The fear of what I was doing to you – that it might be a mistake. After I bit you, there was no turning back." He now moved his hand to trail along the crescent-shaped scar that he had left on my neck. The skin there was extra-cold, and it gave me chills. He continued, "There was also the fear that something might go wrong, that I would make a mistake, that another family member might be unable to resist…or that something simply out of our control or understanding could go wrong. I suppose you could lump all those together by saying I was afraid I might lose you forever." As he said that, his eyes smoldered, and the love and worry in his voice was almost tangible.

"What did you do?" I asked. "While I was…" I looked up at him, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"That was another very difficult part of it," he admitted, "to watch you screaming in agony and know that I could do nothing to help you."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I didn't know what else to say.

"What?" he asked, incredulous. "Don't _apologize_. You were the one who had to suffer through three days of unbearable pain."

I rested my head on his chest. Our breathing was synchronized, and I laughed softly as I realized that our heartbeats – or lack thereof – matched now, too.

"Hmmm?" he asked, wondering what was so funny.

"Nothing." I looked down at my hands, which were pressed against my chest under his hands. I ran my thumbs across his index fingers, memorizing the lines.

"You're absolutely infuriating, Bella," he groaned, frustrated. "What are you thinking?" He moved one hand away from mine to trace a finger up my jaw line. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his soft touch.

"You wouldn't want to hear it," I told him quietly, "you would be upset."

"I thought that this would get easier with time," he grumbled, "but it's still unbearably aggravating not to know what you're thinking." I remained silent, and he saw that I was not giving in. I felt yet another wave of unnatural calm wash over my body.

"Damn it, Jasper! Stop!" I snapped, glaring at him. "I can handle myself."

Suddenly, I felt the shocked eyes of Edward, Alice, and Jasper all on me.

"Holy shit…" I heard Jasper mutter under his breath.

"Bella?" Edward breathed.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Alice squeaked. Then I heard Edward again.

"I don't care what it was, just do it again."


	11. Author's Note

**REALLY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE**

When I started to write the author's note for my next chapter, I noticed that the note was quickly becoming longer than what I had written so far of the actual chapter. So, I decided to post it as its own "chapter." I know how much it sucks to get an alert in your inbox, but the length of this thing has really gotten ridiculous, and I think it is better that you all hear from me – so you don't worry I've been hit by a bus or something.

First off, I would like to say thank you to all my readers for being so patient (ish). Spring semester of college classes hit me a little harder than I was expecting it to, and even as I type, I am putting off homework that desperately needs to be done.

Also, I seem to have come down with something. The flu? I don't know. All I know is that all of my muscles ache, and it hurts to swallow, and my head feels like it's going to explode, and I get really nauseous every couple minutes. I couldn't sit down at the computer without getting dizzy, so now I'm working on the next chapter on my laptop while lying down in bed.

I also want to thank my amazing readers for all of the reviews. When I came home to see I had over 10 reviews on just one chapter, I nearly cried. You guys are seriously awesome. Although, apparently none of you have ever seen a cliffhanger before. :P

Want to make me even happier? Go read my comedy oneshot: Legal Implications (used to be titled Shit), and vote for me in the poll on yayme2012's profile. It will be a good way to pass the time while you wait for me to finish writing the next chapter of Dusk. Voting closes on Valentine's day.

Anyway, I thought that it was pretty obvious what had happened in the last chapter, but I guess I'm the first one to think of this idea, because you all seemed completely perplexed by it. Hopefully the next chapter will explain everything you are all confused about. I'm working on it RIGHT NOW. As you are reading this.

I promise. It will be up as soon as I finish.


	12. Power

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Thank you for all your wishes for my good health. I'm still not feeling _great_, but I am alive. As soon as I post this, I am going back to bed :(

One thing I forgot in my super-long author's note is that I am going to keep the preface. Everyone said that I should keep it. I guess I just don't like it because it's so short. So, this story will continue to go in the direction that I first intended. I can save my other plot idea for…a sequel? Don't get too excited, though! I only have a vague idea of what I would want to happen, not nearly enough to flesh out a whole other story.

Another idea I've been having is to write the actual lemon of their wedding night, with all the gory details, as a separate story. Thoughts?

Here I go again with the endless author's notes! I know you all have been waiting forever for this next chapter, so here it is. :)

* * *

P O W E R

Confused, I glanced around at the Cullens, who were all looking at me now. Jasper, Alice, and Edward were all staring at me with disbelief, but Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie just looked curious.

"What? What happened?" I asked. "Did I do something?" They stared at me for a few minutes, mouths gaping open like goldfish. Edward was the first to speak.

"It was amazing – for once in my life, the only thoughts I heard were mine." He closed his eyes, trying to remember the peace he had felt. I saw Alice nod.

"For a second, I was worried we were going to have some trouble with werewolves. I couldn't see anything." She looked at me with wide eyes, as though expecting _me_ to explain what happened. Yeah, right. They seemed to have a much better idea of what was going on than I did. I looked at Jasper, though I had a pretty good idea what had happened with him.

"My emotions were my own," he agreed simply, staring at me with curiosity-filled eyes. They all looked at me expectantly. I threw up my arms.

"I don't know what I did!" I cried, exasperated. "I just remember wishing Jasper couldn't control my emotions, and then you all were staring at me."

Carlisle walked over to me, with an air as if he was going to pull out my chart and start checking my temperature. Of course he would want to "diagnose" whatever had just happened. He kneeled by my side, and looked a little lost and frustrated. What exactly was he supposed to do, when he couldn't feel the effects, and I couldn't reproduce them? He took a step back, and looked around at Edward, Jasper, and Alice.

"Clearly, your power has shown," he told me. "It seems as if you have the ability to block others' powers. That actually makes sense," he nodded, looking at Edward, "some powers did not affect you when you were human. Now you can make it so that they don't affect anyone." Everyone was staring intently at Carlisle, and understanding began to touch their eyes. I nodded slowly, finally understanding what had happened.

"But…Jasper and Alice never had a problem using their powers on me. Why can I affect them now?" Carlisle shrugged.

"Your ability was enhanced with your transformation," he said. "It must have increased in strength _and_ range."

I stared at him, trying to make sense of this. I could turn other people's powers on and off as I wished? It was hard enough swallowing the idea that I had a "superpower" in the first place. Hell, I was barely used to the idea that I was a vampire.

And now, all of a sudden, I not only have a mysterious new power, but it is a power that will disable everyone around me. I could practically feel the responsibility weighing down on my shoulders. I wasn't meant for this. I was just Bella.

"Although," Carlisle added, "it only seems to affect those who have super-human powers. Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and I were fine." He looked around the tent thoughtfully. "Or, perhaps, the target just has to be in close proximity." I followed his gaze around the tent. That was true – maybe it was just a coincidence that Edward, Alice, and Jasper had been sitting closest to me. If I had been standing near Emmett, would he have turned weak?

"Bella?" Carlisle asked softly. "Do you think you could do it again?" I looked at him hesitantly.

"I-I don't know." I shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly what to do to make it happen again." I looked at Edward, and he gave me an encouraging nod. I went to stand between him and Emmett, so that we could test Carlisle's two theories at once.

"You'll either have to focus very hard on stopping our powers," Edward told me, "or you'll have to get very angry at us –" he frowned a little "– I'm not sure which." He looked over at Jasper, the only one of them who could turn his powers on and off at will.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "It's second-nature for me, now."

All eyes were on me again. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I tried to focus on Emmett and Edward, and picture them as ordinary people. That, in itself, was difficult. What was Emmett without his strength? And how could I picture Edward as anything except for the perfect creature that he was? I did my best, though.

I felt something pulsing through my body, and it could only be described as some sort of static. But it was…_good_ static, if that made any sense. It moved from my core, just above my stomach, and found its way out through the skin on my fingertips. How had I not noticed **that** the first time? I opened my eyes slowly to see everyone staring at me again. I turned to Emmett first, and he looked disappointed.

"Nothing happened," he complained.

"Sorry," I mumbled, not sure what to tell him. He laughed.

"It's okay," he said with his wide, playful grin. "It's more my fault for not having an interesting power, I think." I looked at Edward, and he just smiled and pulled me toward him, pressing his marble lips against mine. I raised my eyebrows, surprised by his reaction.

"I never thought it would be possible for you to make me even _more_ happy, Bella," he whispered. I was lost in his voice, and it made me jump a little when I heard Alice speak.

"That hit me, too," she piped. A look around the tent confirmed that it had reached Jasper, too, but nobody else. So, it only affected those who had special powers. But did it always have to affect _everyone_ around me? Carlisle seemed to read my mind.

"Do you think you could focus it onto one person, Bella?" he asked.

"I can try," I offered doubtfully. Everyone was watching me again. I wished they would stop doing that. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind, and put my hand on Edward's shoulder. He seemed to be enjoying this, so I might as well practice on him. I focused as hard as I could on _him_, and him _not_ being able to read minds. A weird idea to try to focus on, if I may say so myself. I felt the strange, tingling static move from my center again, making its way outward to my fingertips.

I opened my eyes again. Edward was smiling peacefully, and I mirrored his expression. He looked to Jasper and Alice, who told us that they had felt it still, but not as strongly as before. Sighing, I positioned myself to try again.

I was going to practice this until I mastered it.

* * *

**A/N:** Was that chapter too boring? Sorry :( Just making sure every little detail of her power is ironed out. Don't forget to give me feedback on the stuff in the author's note – Sequel? Lemon? Let me know what you think :) 


	13. Peanuts

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued support and reviews! I can't believe so many people like my writing so much. It's hard to wrap my mind around how many readers I have. This story has broken**10,000 hits** since I posted the last chapter, and it's steadily working its way toward 3-digit review numbers. Wow! I can't express my appreciation for all my wonderful readers!

For those of you who begged me to write the **lemon**, I wrote it! I posted it as its own story, titled Melt. First chapter is Bella's POV, and second is Edward's. I've discovered I really like EPOV, and have written a songfic titled Cellar Door that is also in his point of view. In even more awesome news, my oneshot comedy,Legal Implications, won **first place** in yayme2012's contest. Thank you for all the votes!

I have decided to shorten Dusk, and write a **sequel**, which will probably be titled Solstice. I'm excited to get started on the new story, and I can hardly wait to get finished with Dusk. Anyway, I think I've been rambling long enough…Here is the next chapter.

* * *

P E A N U T S

I followed obediently as we all left the tents. We were headed toward town, and the rested of the Cullens were noticeably tensed, ready to stop me if I tried to launch myself at some poor passerby. I had fed just a few hours before we left, though, and I was pretty sure I couldn't drink if I wanted to. I remained quiet, until I saw the airport looming in front of us. I turned to Edward.

"Where are we going?" I asked in wonder. It occurred to me that nobody had specifically _refused_ to tell me where we were going. I just hadn't asked. I had assumed it was some kind of secret, since nobody had told me yet. Instead of Edward, Carlisle answered my question.

"We have to go see the Volturi, Bella," he told me, sounding surprised that I didn't already know. "They need to see that you've been changed."

"Oh," I answered, articulate as always. "Why are _we_ going to _them_? I thought they would come to check on us." Edward chuckled, now answering the question I had directed at Carlisle.

"Do you really want them to go poking around Forks, looking for you?" he asked me pointedly.

"Oh," I muttered again. "Right." I was just the _height_ of eloquence today. He laughed again, wrapping his arms around my waist. I sighed, leaning into him. Then it started to really sink in. The Volturi. I shuddered as I remembered our last encounter with them

"Wh-what are we going to do when we get there?" I asked as we walked through the automatic sliding doors into the spacious airport. It was buzzing with light and activity inside. Not to mention the smell of human blood. Full enough to maintain my senses, I gagged a little at the scent that was tinged with rust and salt. How had I lost control over something so unappealing? Still, even as I wondered that, the demon within me longed to strike out at one of the passing people. My new family moved together, forming a protective circle around me.

"Hopefully," it was Carlisle answering me again, "we will simply go in and out. We will show them that we have followed through on our promise, and leave. We really don't want to be there any longer than we need to." He set his carry-on bag on the conveyor belt and walked through security. The rest of the family followed suit.

"Bella," he continued, turning to me as we walked to the terminal. "It is very important that your power is not revealed. If they discover what you can do, they will want you to join them even more than they want Alice or Edward." I gulped, not wanting to think of what might happen if they made up their mind that they wanted me. "However, you may need to use your power anyway. If Aro thinks we might be lying, he will want to touch one of us to find out what we are hiding – and then he will see your power. In that case, you will need to block his power. Do you understand?" My head reeled.

"So…I might have to use my power to make sure they don't find out I have a power?"

"That sounds about right," he laughed, handing our tickets to the woman at the counter and stepping into the tunnel that would take us out to the plane. As we shuffled down the aisle and took our seats, I looked around. Something was out of place.

"Where's Alice?!" I realized suddenly. Edward, sitting next to me, gently squeezed my hand to comfort me.

"She's on her way. She should be here any minute."

"But…where is she?" I asked. I remembered now that I hadn't seen her all day. Emmett, on my other side, laughed and mussed my hair.

"Do you really think Charlie would have fallen for the 'college' story if we didn't have a transcript to prove it?" It took a second for it to click in my brain.

"She's taking my classes for me?"

Edward and Emmett both nodded, just as Alice waltzed down the aisle toward us, as if on cue.

"Alice!" I cried. "You didn't have to do that for me! I could have…you know, taken online classes or something. You didn't have to go to all that trouble just for me!" Alice just laughed, sitting herself down next to Jasper, across the aisle.

"Don't be silly, Bella." She waved her hand to show that it was no big deal. "You have much more important things to worry about right now."

"But–" I tried to argue, but she cut me off.

"You'll have a million other chances to take these classes," she reminded me, "and since I have taken them before, it really is not a problem for me. It's the least I can do." I settled down in my seat, giving up. She continued, "And anyways, hanging out in those tents all day is unbearably boring. You're practically doing me a favor."

"Besides," Edward whispered to me, his eyes twinkling, "_nobody_ pays attention to freshman-level classes. It's just a repeat of what you learned in high school." I glowered at him. Or at least, I tried. That look in his eyes made me lose all will power, and I leaned over to kiss him. As the plane taxied down the runway, I closed my eyes and relaxed back against the seat. Despite our destination, I felt completely comfortable– simply because of my company.

The in-flight movie was a bore; some Disney sequel, where they really shouldn't have even bothered with the original. A stewardess came by, handing out tiny bags of peanuts to everyone. I had never quite understood it, but those had always been the most exciting part of flying for me. They weren't particularly _good_…they were just a classic of crappy airlines that somehow always made my day.

In my excitement over the bag of peanuts, I forgot myself. I ripped open the bag and popped a handful in my mouth. The taste quickly filled my mouth, but it was not what I expected. It was _disgusting._ My eyes went wide as I looked around at the rest of the Cullens, who were all fighting back laughter. I spit out the offending nuts, wiping at my mouth.

"Ugh!" I cried, catching the attention of a few people sitting nearby. "That was awful!"

Emmett could no longer contain his laughter, and he burst out laughing, with the rest of the Cullens following suit. I pouted angrily, waiting for them to finish. When Edward had calmed down enough to breathe, I pointed an accusing finger at him.

"That tasted _much_ worse than dirt."


	14. Gone

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Wow, I don't really have anything to say…For once, my author's note is not unbearably long. I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

G O N E

The plane seemed to drag our moods down with it as it descended beneath the clouds. Lighthearted laughter melted into anxious silence, as we all sat unmoving in our seats. When the plane finally pulled in to the airport and the seatbelt light dinged above, we all stood up quickly, exiting with a rising sense of anticipation. We made our way out of the airport, and stopped at the sidewalk. Rosalie left without us, returning only moments later with a big shiny SUV.

"Did you steal this?" I cried as we all piled into the car. "What is with this family and committing felonies?" Rosalie looked back over the seat and gave me a dazzling smile.

"Relax. It's a rental," she assured me as she handed over the keys to Carlisle. Beside me, I saw Edward shaking his head.

"Of all the things our family has done, you worry about us stealing cars." He looked at me with disbelief shooting across his face. There was a loud squeal from the tires as we pulled quickly out of the airport and onto the streets.

"Well," I huffed defensively, "it seems like every time we go somewhere, you guys have to take someone else's car to get there. You have the money! Just buy a car to keep in Italy." Edward's face turned hard at that suggestion.

"No thanks," he said icily. "We shouldn't need to keep a car here. We shouldn't have to come here that often." We lapsed into silence at his words, and I stared out the tinted windows as the gorgeous scenery flew by at impossible speeds. I watched for a few minutes, before a noise from Alice snapped me out of my trance.

"Wait," she breathed. "Stop the car." Carlisle pulled over obediently, turning to face her. Edward's face fell into an expression of horror as he – apparently – read Alice's thoughts.

"Oh God," he whispered, taking my hand in his.

"What?" I asked, "What is it?"

"They're not there anymore," she said slowly. "They're gone."

"The Volturi are gone?" I was confused. "Where would they go?"

"Carlisle, turn the car around." Edward's voice was shaking with anger. He turned on Alice, "How could you not see this? You said they would be there!"

"I-I don't know," she stuttered as Italy now flew past us in the opposite direction. "They must have just made the decision to leave…and we were all distracted on the plane, I just didn't…"

"What's wrong?" I yelled, annoyed that they were having this whole conversation about something that was only inside Alice's head. I felt the static creep its way unintentionally into my fingertips. Alice, Edward, and Jasper all snapped their narrowed eyes back to stare at me. Somehow, they looked even paler than usual.

"Don't do that," Edward whispered hoarsely, the first time I had ever heard him object to my power. I shrunk back in my seat under their piercing glares.

"Sorry," I whispered. It was an accident; I didn't have my power completely under control yet. When they relaxed a little, I spoke again. "Where did they go?"

Edward stared away from me, out the window. "They went to Forks."

My breath caught in my throat as I realized what that meant. The Volturi were going to Forks, to look for me. They were going to be searching everywhere that there was even a trace of my scent…they would be looking at school, in the forest, in Charlie's house. And they would not be happy to find that I was not there. I shivered as my mind played images of what could happen.

I had wanted the plane ride into Italy to last forever. Now I needed to go back, and it couldn't possibly go fast enough.

* * *

When we landed in rainy Port Angeles, it was like some sort of horrific déjà vu. It reminded me of when I first came to Forks, expecting it to be Hell on Earth, but completely unprepared for how it would turn my entire world upside down. As we made the hour-long drive (cut down to just over 15 minutes by our insane speed) to Forks, I once again stared out the window, this time to watch in wonder at the endless expanse of green whipped by us. I mused at how my world seemed to be dominated by one color at a time – first brown in Phoenix, then green in Forks, and white in Alaska. And here I was, back in the green again.

As I began to ponder what color would fill my world next, the car suddenly slowed. I looked up to see we were outside Charlie's house. His cruiser was gone, but I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I guessed he was simply on duty, but I didn't want to make any assumptions about his safety.

Before the car had a chance to completely stop, I was out door, sprinting toward the house. I didn't care who saw me flying through my yard at vampire speed. It wasn't like I was going to be on good terms with the Volturi after this, anyway. Edward was right behind me, followed by the rest of the Cullens as I pushed through the front door.

As I ran through the rooms of the house, I began to relax a little, seeing nothing out of place. I stopped in the kitchen, trying to think of anywhere I had missed. Suddenly, my nose scrunched up as I smelled something. It was absolutely disgusting…like a wet dog. I heard a deep growl from behind me and whirled around.

"Jake?!"


	15. Battle

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: Whew, writing this chapter was insane. Very, very difficult. I definitely wanted to do it justice, and it took me a long time to make sure I got it just right. Hopefully you like the final result as much as I do. :)

* * *

B A T T L E

As I turned and found myself staring into Jacob's angry eyes, his growl was answered by a fierce snarl from behind me. By the time I turned to look, Edward had taken a defensive stance in front of me. I noticed Jake was trembling, but he didn't look like he had any intention of taking off into the forest this time.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob growled, his voice rough. I tried to answer him, but Edward spoke first.

"That's none of your business, dog."

"It's entirely my business!" he shouted, his shaking increasing. They looked like they were about to jump at each other's throats. They probably were.

"Bella can't come home?" Edward asked him innocently, as if we were simply here on vacation.

"Quit the act, you stupid bloodsucker." Jacob's hands were clenched into fists.

"You broke the treaty." He shot a pointed look at me. As our eyes met, his anger faltered, and his face flickered with undeniable pain. My heart reached out to him, but I didn't dare step between these two. Emily's scarred face flashed in my mind as I realized Jacob was on the brink of phasing.

"We didn't break the treaty," Edward said, shaking his head.

"You think that it's okay, just because you took her out of town to take her soul?" Jacob sneered.

Edward snarled at the mention of my soul. "Alaska isn't mentioned in the treaty. What we do outside of Forks is none of your business."

"Bullshit. The treaty says that you can't bite a human. It doesn't matter where you do it."

"You knew Bella was going to be changed," Edward reminded him. "Why have you decided to step in now that it's too late?"

A sly smile touched Jacob's mouth."This time," he said quietly, slowly, "you're outnumbered." On cue, the rest of the pack walked up to join him. Sam, Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, Leah, and Seth. And they were all standing in my kitchen, ready to fight. Oh god.

"Did you really think we came alone?" Edward asked, clearly questioning Jake's intelligence. We were suddenly joined by the rest of the Cullens. And now there were eight on each side, glaring and snarling and snapping at each other. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening.

"You broke the treaty, leech," Jacob repeated. He wasn't going to back down.

"Don't do this," Edward told him softly. "If you care about Bella, you won't make her–"

"You have no right to judge how I feel about Bella!" Jacob roared, shaking uncontrollably. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was about to have a seizure.

"I know exactly how you feel, pup." Edward winked, gesturing to his head.

Jacob let out a roar, jumping at Edward and phasing midair. Edward met him in the air, bringing them both to the ground with a thunderous crash that rattled the windows.

"NO!" I cried in horror, as they began to bite and snap and tear at each other on the floor.

However, I had no more than half a second to stare at them before I was knocked back onto the floor. A wolf was pinning me to the ground, and by the color of its eyes and fur I could only guess that it was Leah. Her teeth flew toward me, and I panicked, shoving her back. She sailed backwards, hitting the wall with a thud. She let out a soft whimper. I didn't want to fight her. I didn't want any of this to be happening. But what was I supposed to do when she jumped on me like that?

Leah scrambled back to her feet and advanced toward me again, more cautiously this time. I glanced around out of the corner of my eye, and saw that everyone was fighting now. Carlisle fought Sam, while Esme battled Seth. I saw Emmett throw Paul across the room, and Jasper quickly outmaneuvered Jared. Rosalie was pinned down by Embry, and Alice was blocking Quil's attacks before he made them. Edward and Jacob continued their brawl, and a voice deep inside me told me that they wouldn't both make it out alive.

A growl rumbling deep in Leah's throat brought me back to the moment, and I crouched back defensively as she moved closer to me. An answering growl rose from my own throat, warning her to stay back. I had newborn strength – if she kept attacking me, I was bound to hurt her, no matter how hard I tried not to.

Without warning, she leaped at me again. I ducked and weaved as she slashed at my face, an odd reflex that I knew I hadn't learned in my pathetic self-defense classes. She snarled in frustration, jumping to tackle me to the ground. I brought her momentum backward with me, turning in the air so I would land on top. I slammed her against the floor, pinning her. She barked and growled, her teeth snapping at my face, but I simply made sure to hold her down. My strength greatly surpassed hers, so my goal was to just keep her immobile.

I pushed her back against the ground as she writhed and struggled, trying to get in a shot on me. This was fairly easy. I would merely keep her here until the battle was over. But then…what would define the end of this battle? I looked nervously around, and the fights were just as bad as they had been a minute ago, if not worse. I cringed as I saw Seth lash out at Esme's face. I needed to help them; this fight was too close.

Before I had time to even think of a plan, however, I saw Edward strike Jacob with unbelievable force. He let out a pathetic whimper, flying back against the wall with a sickening crack. He trembled for a few seconds, giving another small whine. And then he didn't move anymore. "JAKE!" I tried to scream, but I couldn't find my lungs.

But I had only a second to worry about him before Leah's teeth at my throat brought me back to the present moment. She had taken advantage of my distraction and was now on top of me, holding me in place. I cried out, trying to roll away from her canine fangs. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the worst.

And then, suddenly, I was no longer being pressed to the floor under her weight. She was gone. I slowly opened my eyes, looking up to see Edward battling with Leah over me. I felt incredibly stupid and selfish to be cringing on the floor while everyone else was fighting. I stood up, snarling at Leah to show I was not done fighting. Edward, furious that Leah had attacked me, brought her down, ripping and tearing at her. She shook under his blows until finally, she lay motionless on the floor.

Then he turned on Seth, growling and baring his teeth. Seth's eyes darted back and forth between Edward and Esme. Then he backed up slowly, letting out a high-pitched whine. The rest of the pack understood him, and began to retreat as well. They were outnumbered. And they were losing.

The six turned and scampered out the front door, leaving the Cullens alone in my now unrecognizable kitchen. My new family rose to their feet, brushing themselves off. Everyone seemed okay, except…

"Esme?" I ran over to her. She had a gash across her cheek – it was not bleeding, of course; the deep, ragged gouge looked serious, nonetheless. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"Don't worry, Bella." She waved me off, giving me a half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'll be fine." I began to protest, but I was interrupted by Carlisle clearing his throat loudly on the other side of the room. I turned to look, and saw that he was crouched over Jacob's unmoving body.

It wasn't that I didn't know what he was going to say. I knew what his exact words would be, probably before he even put them together in his head. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

"He's dead."


	16. Epilogue

**Disclaimer****: Obviously, I do not own Stephenie Meyer's stuff – her plot, characters, etc…it all belongs to her.**

Author's Note: My, oh my, I never expected such a strong reaction to Jake's death. You all are great, I love that I have created something that you can get so involved in (though, of course, all the real credit goes to the amazing Stephenie Meyer). And now, we shall see Bella's reaction to this…

* * *

E P I L O G U E

I couldn't move. I couldn't think.

Jacob…dead?

I couldn't breathe. It was so…surreal. He couldn't be dead. Jacob had always seemed…invincible. But, no. He wasn't invincible. He was human. And now he was dead.

Time did not slow to allow me to take it all in. Time did not stand still to allow me to catch up. Time did not move backwards to reverse this terrible tragedy. Instead it seemed to move double speed, everything melting into a confusing buzz around me.

The world was spinning as I ran to crouch at his side. The dizziness overwhelmed me and I quit fighting it, falling to my knees next to his crumpled body. My hand shook uncontrollably as I reached out to stroke his fur. He was stuck in wolf form, never to phase again. I took in a sharp breath, suddenly realizing I hadn't been breathing before. When I thought about it, it was fitting for his life to end as a wolf – it was the body he seemed most comfortable in. But I still wished I could see his face again. Just one last time.

I heard a soft sob, and realized it must have come from me. No tears brought physical release from the grief; I could do nothing but cry broken, dry sobs. I fell over him, wrapping my arms around his still-warm body.

Through the background noise, I heard Edward in a disguised voice, speaking into his phone, "Yes, I'd like to report a burglary in progress…" he gave the operator Charlie's address. Of course we needed a way to explain the collapsed table, the shattered windows, the dented walls.

And then, suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. My feet seemed to move of their own accord as I ran from the house, pushing violently through the front door. I heard metal snapping, and guessed that I had broken it off its hinges. Now that the police had been called, of course, the rest of the family had to follow me. But as they all piled into the car, I turned and ran toward the forest.

Despite finally being under cover of the dense foliage, the pouring rain fell on me, soaking my clothes and hair and dripping down my face. It felt refreshing, like the sky was crying the tears that my eyes could no longer produce. I felt a hand on my shoulder and whipped around. I found myself staring into Edward's golden eyes, which were framed perfectly by dark wet lashes. My mind flashed back to our wedding, to the kiss in the pouring rain that had bonded us for eternity. I tried desperately to push that image out of my head, reminding myself what he had just done.

"No," I whispered, my voice hoarse. I pushed his hand away from me, taking a step back. "Leave me alone."

"Bella–"

"Go away," I choked out. It felt so unnatural to not want Edward there to comfort me. But he caused this. Edward killed Jacob. I couldn't forgive him. Not so soon…maybe not ever.

"Please, listen–" he begged, taking a step toward me.

"No!" I cried, shoving him back. My newborn strength caused him to stumble backwards, almost falling over. His eyes widened, and he turned to head back for the car. Leaving me, for the second time, collapsed on Forks' forest floor, sobbing over my irreparable loss.

The atmosphere around me suddenly darkened, and I looked up toward the horizon, where the sun was quickly disappearing behind the distant mountains. Dusk. Everything was getting darker; everything I knew and loved was fading away. As I let out another dry sob, I felt a hand on my hair.

"I said 'go away,'" I whispered, and my voice broke. I stared off at the horizon. I couldn't turn around, I couldn't risk looking into his eyes and falling in love all over again…or worse, realizing that I would never see him the same way again.

"I know this is hard for you, Bella," the soft, feminine voice surprised me into turning around to face Esme. "But you _will_ heal, eventually," she promised. Her fingers stroked through my wet hair as she followed my gaze back toward the horizon.

She wrapped her free arm around me, whispering into my ear, "The sun must set before it can rise again. Darkness happens only as a preparation for something bright and beautiful."

And, as I collapsed into sobs on her shoulder, she held me close and watched the sun continue to fall behind the horizon.

* * *

**Author's Note****: Yes, my friends, we are finally at the end of this story. Don't worry, though, I promise to write the sequel :) However, I **_**am**_** going to take off a little bit of time in between stories. I plan to write a few oneshots, including a sequel to **_**Legal Implications **_**and a songfic that is even more serious and angsty than **_**Cellar Door**_

**I will also be going back through this story with my beta to edit and mistakes I missed the first time through and delete author's notes and so on, so I apologize about any extra alerts it may send those of you who have subscribed to this story. Speaking of alerts, I will be posting a new chapter on the end of this story when I have the first chapter of the sequel up, so that nobody will miss the update.**

**Already read all my stories, but still itching for more? I have all of the stories that I beta for listed on my profile, and they are all wonderful. **

**I will see you all in a couple weeks when I resume with the sequel, **_**Solstice **__**  
**_


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